The Way You Look At Me
by The Convergence
Summary: For Nina. "Pepper pulls him closer and cards her fingers through his unruly black hair, standing there for a moment and savouring it. After everything, they've managed to steal this moment just for themselves, wrapped in the deep, sparkling green of Pepper's dress and the light in Tony's eyes."


**The Convergence Secret Santa 2016**

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 **For:** Nina  
 **Character** : Pepper Potts  
 **Other Characters Used:** Tony Stark  
 **Rating:** T just in case  
 **Genre(s):** Romance  
 **Message to your person:** Because someone amazing as you deserves pure, unadaulterated fluff :) I hope you enjoy, dearest! Happy holiday!

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 **The Way You Look At Me**

 _"Pepper pulls him closer and cards her fingers through his unruly black hair, standing there for a moment and savouring it. After everything, they've managed to steal this moment just for themselves, wrapped in the deep, sparkling green of Pepper's dress and the light in Tony's eyes."_

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"Pepper?" Her partner's voice makes the strawberry blonde whirl in her tracks, high heels scratching gently against the hardwood floor. A small smile spreads over her face at the sight of him - all polished, suit-and-tie, hair tamed into something that could be presentable. Her hair bounces around her shoulders in a gentle curl, and Pepper strides towards him with her hands on her hips, giving her best CEO look.

"Tony." Her expression is somewhere between smitten and reproving, gentle and stern all at once. It's an expression Tony knows well, an expression that says you're a fool, but I'm in love with you, an expression that Pepper wears in the best of times. Now is one of those times (Tony hopes he will make it better).

He clears his throat, reaches out to take Pepper's hand. "You ready?" he asks, facing her, a devilish smile touching at his lips. "I'm just hoping we finish up with dinner quickly so we can come back here and -"

"Tony!" Pepper is holding back a laugh and he can tell, but it's her job to act as moral support and look absolutely scandalised. "I thought we were going to have a very nice, appropriate, /adult/ dinner. You promised."

"I did," Tony replies, ducking his head and holding up his hands in surrender. His smile hasn't changed, though, when he glances back at Pepper, arms folded indignantly. "I also heavily implied that we were going to do very nice, inappropriate adult things after dinner, which you had absolutely no problem with."

Pepper steps closer and tugs on his tie, bringing their lips together for just a moment in a show of gentle dominance. Her hand rests on his chest as she steps away, one finger circling the groove of where the arc reactor used to be. "Tony Stark," she says, "sometimes I have no idea what to do with you."

He meets her eyes with no hesitation. "Give me an hour and I'm sure I can come up with some ideas."

Pepper pulls him closer and cards her fingers through his unruly black hair, standing there for a moment and savouring it. After everything, they've managed to steal this moment just for themselves, wrapped in the deep, sparkling green of Pepper's dress and the light in Tony's eyes. Outside their window, snow falls in gentle rhythm, streetlights winking brightly as they cut through the haze.

"You know," Tony says after some time, once they've finished just holding each other, "we could always -"

"Absolutely not," says Pepper firmly, an air of command surrounding her as she reaches for his hand. "Come on, you."

The walk to the restaurant is short. Pepper chose it - Tony agreed with surprisingly little complaint - and Pepper had firmly established that she wanted to not just see but experience New York City on Christmas Eve. Tony's agreement, again, was swift and easy, and they both knew it was because of Pepper's desire. Tony had kissed her and said that as long as she was happy, he wouldn't mind the possibility of a PR mess. This essentially translated to I love you, because Tony had apparently never said anything directly in his life.

The two of them have to sit in a private room, ushered quickly to the back of the restaurant by a nervous looking waiter. Even though this has been her life for a while now - sunglasses in the wintertime, bulletproof glass in her office - Pepper doesn't think she'll ever get used to it. Watching Tony smile takes her out of her haze, though, and she smiles back at him, their hands firm in the other's grasp.

Dinner is a quiet affair. Tony chatters a bit about how Rhodey is going to come celebrate after their time together, how the team might drop by and if Pepper's alright with that and if not he's alright with that too because - Tony drops off a bit here, and Pepper's eyes are soft on his. He takes her hands in his and says, "Because I love you," and both of them wonder what they ever did to deserve the other.

It's the sweetest dinner they've ever had. Tony keeps looking at her in this manner that's hard to discern - adoration and bliss mixed up all at once and shining from his eyes in the reflection of candlelight. They eat, and they talk, and at some times they just sit in an easy, companionable silence. Pepper only has to say, "Eyes up here," once, with a smirk and a snap of her fingers. Tony responds by taking her hand, kissing it, and promising anything she wishes. Pepper laughs and tells Tony he should act instead of save the world. (Heaven knows she'd prefer it.)

Apart from that, though, there are no mentions of superhero-ing or even CEO-ing, which are basically the same anyway. It's just Tony and Pepper, wildly in love as they've stayed after all this time, and they're pretty okay.

It's when they're packing up that all precedence goes out the window. Pepper has her back turned, buttoning up her dark blue pea coat with her usual efficiency. "So, Mr. Stark," she says, her voice low and inviting as she glances back at him, "do you have any propositions for me tonight?"

Tony sticks his hands in the pocket of his jacket, strides up to her, and stands firmly at eye level. (As a matter of fact, he's a bit shorter than Pepper and she's wearing heels, which means he has to look up. Anyway.) "Actually," he says, all casual, fiddling with something in his pocket, "I was thinking we should get married."

The world seems to slow down. Pepper's only coherent thought is oh my God, fingers sparking with the same sort of warmth she gets from I love you. There might be a smile on her face (she certainly feels like smiling) and everything in the universe has narrowed down to this tiny moment between the two of them. Pepper and Tony, Tony and Pepper. What comes out is, "Are you sure you should be proposing to your boss?"

Suddenly they're both laughing, eyes crinkling at the corners kind of laugh, and Tony replies in typical Tony fashion, "Well, just wait until you see the ring I got. Then decide."

Pepper doesn't wait, though, pulling Tony closer to kiss him as wonder and love and exhilaration bubble in her chest. "I don't have to," she murmurs fondly as she breaks it, their foreheads resting against each other's.

Tony blinks, pulling away for a moment to look at her fully. There's a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, wavering in his certainty. "Is that a yes?"

Pepper throws her arms around his neck and kisses him again, giddiness and adoration coursing through her. "Of course it's a yes," she whispers, eyes shining as she plays with his hair. "Merry Christmas, you idiot." A breathy laugh escapes her lips." Now I have to outdo your present somehow."

Tony looks happier than Pepper's seen him in a long time. "Trust me," he says, half-smug and fully genuine, as he slips a simple silver band on her finger. "You already have."

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 **Disclaimer:** The Convergence Roleplay and any themes related to it belong to Rhya and Lena (links on profile). All OC's belong to their respective creators, all Canon Characters belong to their respective franchises and all credit for the fic itself goes to the Santa who wrote it.

 **The Convergence Roleplay:** Trapped in a new world, with no way out. Characters from 19 different worlds have been brought together and must struggle in a world that constantly creates more mysteries than it solves. With no new answers ever coming to light, they must start to wonder - is there really a reason why they're here?

The Convergence is a multifandom roleplay, featuring Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Harry Potter, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Vampire Diaries, The Hunger Games, Merlin, Once Upon a Time, Divergence, Fox MCU, Star Trek, The Maze Runner, the DC Extended and Television Universes, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Mortal Instruments and House M.D and the various spin-offs. Check out the link in the profile for more information!


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